Author: starpathwp-production
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SpaceX launches missile tracking satellites for MDA and SDA
SpaceX launched the USSF-124 mission carrying six prototype missile tracking satellites for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) into a 1000 kilometer altitude, 40 degree inclination orbit on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 5:30 PM EST (22:30 UTC). The mission took off from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in…
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The race is on to power up with perovskite solar cells in space
Enter the potential of perovskite solar cells. They’re cheaper to make, can be deployed on flexible polymer sheets, and they’re catching up fast on the efficiency front, with the potential even to outperform gallium arsenide, which is a pretty big deal. However, the stability of perovskite solar cells is still a work in progress. Tampa-based…
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Kratos Secures $579M IDIQ Contract for Space Force’s SATCOM C2 System
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a technology company in the defense, national security, and global markets, announced that it is the single recipient for the Command and Control (C2) System Consolidated (CCS-C) Sustainment and Resiliency (C-SAR) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a maximum value of $579 million if all options are exercised. The start date is…
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NASA’s Latest Mission to Investigate the Ultraviolet Sky, Stars, and Stellar Explosions
As NASA explores the unknown in air and space, a new mission to survey ultraviolet light across the entire sky will provide the agency with more insight into how galaxies and stars evolve. The space telescope, called UVEX (UltraViolet EXplorer), is targeted to launch in 2030 as NASA’s next Astrophysics Medium-Class Explorer mission. In addition…
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Thales Alenia Space to Contribute to NASA NEO Surveyor Mission
Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with prime contractor Ball Aerospace to supply communications equipment for NASA’s NEO Surveyor mission, a telescope designed to hunt asteroids and comets. Thales Alenia Space announced the contract award on Feb. 13. This five-year mission aims to advance efforts to defend Earth against near-Earth objects like asteroids and comets,…
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This Week in Launch: Intuitive Machines to start its attempt for lunar landing
This week’s launch: February 14 (Wednesday) SpaceX | Falcon 9 | IM-1 | 12:57 A.M. ET LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL SpaceX | Falcon 9 | USSF-124 | 2:30 P.M. PT SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 7-14 | 4:55 P.M. ET SLC-4W, Vandenberg Space Force Base,…
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Fueling a spacecraft while it’s on a rocket? “Not trivial,” SpaceX official says.
Are you ready for round two of the lunar lottery? As early as Thursday morning, a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a privately developed lunar lander may launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The vehicle, built by a Houston-based company called Intuitive Machines, will be the second US-made lunar lander to launch from Florida in…
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LeoLabs and Secure World Foundation Lead Joint Statement for Debris Remediation in LEO
Visualization of space debris LeoLabs and Secure World Foundation (SWF) released a joint statement on Wednesday to respond to the accumulation of derelict objects in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) like spent rocket bodies. LeoLabs and SWF cite that as of January 2024, around 29% of the total mass in LEO consists of these massive objects, 43%…
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Kuva Space Details Plan to Target US Government Business in Expansion
Finnish hyperspectral startup Kuva Space is working to break into the U.S. market, recently hiring former Iceye US CEO Jerry Welsh to lead the company’s expansion in the U.S. The company plans to launch two hyperspectral satellites this year and establish a constellation of 100 satellites by 2030. For Welsh, this role represents a tough, but…
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BAE Set to Close Ball Aerospace Acquisition
BAE Systems in the coming days will close its $5.6 billion acquisition of Ball Aerospace after receiving all required regulatory approvals, the company said on Wednesday morning. Ball Aerospace will operate within BAE Systems, Inc., the U.S. business of Britain’s BAE Systems, and will report as a new sector called Space & Mission Systems. Dave Kaufman,…